Eusebius McKaiser dies from suspected epileptic seizure

Celebrated analyst, broadcaster and author Eusebius McKaiser has died after suffering a suspected epileptic seizure, said his manager, Jackie Strydom.

She said he was going about his day without any hint of illness. 

“It all happened so quickly. His partner Nduduzo Nyanda is already at the mortuary with his family,” said Strydom. “I am so distraught. I can't believe this.”

McKaiser, who was also a regular contributor to TimesLIVE, was born in Grahamstown to a family of little means. He first enrolled at Rhodes University in 1997 to study towards a BA in law and philosophy. An honours and then a masters in Philosophy, both with distinction, followed before he received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford Univerity in the UK.

His biography on the Rhodes University website says McKaiser was a political activist and an associate political and social analyst at the Wits Centre for Ethics, where he participated in research that examined the relationship between civil society and the state in the policy arena, particularly in the light of the changing post-Polokwane political landscape.

“As a political activist what matters to him is getting to grips with the social and political topics that impact on our lives, and making people sit up and take notice of this,” the university said.

“He has also hosted a weekly politics and morality talk show on Talk Radio 702, the Talk at Nine Show and he presented on Interface on SABC3.”

The university said that in his free time, he was a top international debate coach, MC and public speaker, having been both former National SA Debate Champion and the 2011 World Masters Debate Champion. He also coached school learners, tertiary students and corporate executives on how to communicate effectively, think analytically and improve their public speaking in SA, Europe and the Middle East.

Previously, he was an associate at leading international management consulting firm, McKinsey and Company. It said McKaiser was community driven and provided a living example of victory over racism and homophobia.

TimesLIVE